BU Now » Gulf oil spill

Gulf spill and global oil production

Dick Taffe — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:47:11 +0000

The International Energy Agency, in its monthly Oil Market Report, says the Gulf of Mexico spill is a potential “game changer” for oil supply, possibly restricting figure sub-sea oil development and limiting supply. But Professor Cutler Cleveland, director of the BU Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth, see it differently — noting that loss production from the Gulf of Mexico would be at best point-4-percent of global oil production or “dust in the wind.”

“As important as the GOM is to U.S. oil production and to Gulf state economies, it is a pittance in the world market. U.S. production decisions have negligible impacts on world oil markets, and Middle East producers could easily offset the projected shortfall.”

Contact Cutler Cleveland, 617-353-3083, cutler@bu.edu

Obama under political fire

Dick Taffe — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:33:17 +0000

From the handling of the Gulf oil spill to internal Democratic primary politics, President Obama is under intense political fire and the White House is getting defensive. Political science Professor Graham Wilson, author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective,” says some of the criticisms are ironic.

“One irony is that when the health care bill was being blocked by the Republicans, many questioned whether Obama was capable of horse trading and cracking a few heads politically. ‘Too cerebral, insufficiently political’ was the criticism. Now he is being criticized for trying to cut deals.”

Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu

BU environmental expert on impact of oil spill

Kira Jastive — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:48:26 +0000

Cutler Cleveland, professor of Geography and Environment, lays out the short and long-term environmental effects of the BP oil spill.

Contact: Cutler Cleveland, 617-353-7552, cutler@bu.edu

Gulf oil spill documented by BU researchers

Kira Jastive — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:05:40 +0000

Details of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill have now been documented, and will be updated, on the Encyclopedia of Earth, developed by Boston University under the guidance of Professor Cutler Cleveland, director of the BU Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, and fellow at the university’s Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future.

The entry, authored by Cleveland, details the explosion and fire, casualties and rescue efforts, magnitude, geographic spread, attempts to stop the leak, clean-up efforts, paying for the clean-up, ecological concerns, investigations, government response, and economic impact.

Contact: Cutler Cleveland, 617-353-3083, cutler@bu.edu